No food shortage in Pakistan: ministry

Ministry of National Food Security officials say ample stocks of essential items are available

ISLAMABAD: The country will not face any food shortage as it has sufficient stocks of essential items to meet the immediate needs.

This was stated by the Ministry of National Food Security during a special inter-ministerial and inter-provincial meeting held to assess the impact of coronavirus on Pakistan’s economy.

The session was chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission (DCPC) Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan in Islamabad on Thursday.

The officials of food ministry expressed their commitment to ensure smooth operation of transport and logistics services to keep the prices of daily-use commodities stable.

Khan said the government was assessing the socio-economic impact of the virus with an aim to make timely interventions.

“The Planning Commission will make all-out efforts and coordinate for emergency funding from both the local and international sources to ward off any impact of coronavirus on livelihoods, jobs and especially the industry,” he said.

Representatives from the Planning Commission, various ministries and provinces including Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) attended the meeting

The Ministry of Commerce representative said that due to closure of major port operations and retailers globally, reduced demand was likely to lead to a reduced global economic growth.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs maintained that efforts were being made to ensure uninterrupted port operations for continued supply of essential commodities.

Apprising the participants about the steps taken by the government to contain the spread of COVID-19, federal director general health said that over one million people had been screened till now.

“The Health Services Academy is currently modeling a projection for the estimated extent of the spread of virus in collaboration with international experts,” he noted.

Member social sector Dr Shabnum Sarfraz stressed on the need to engage the medical and nursing students to add to the capacity of current health staff to counter the threat.

The DCPC asked the ministries to provide comprehensive assessment reports on economic impacts of coronavirus on various sectors of national the economy.

“The Planning Commission will present these [reports] before the National Security Council,” he said.

The government is keeping a close eye on the situation and will consider providing an economic emergency bailout to address the likely short-to medium-term liquidity crunch,” he added.